National Red Sock Day
National Red Sock Day turns a simple item into a powerful symbol. Bright red socks catch the eye for more than fashion.
They’re part of a bold move to bring attention to Peripheral Artery Disease, or PAD. This condition affects blood flow, mostly in the legs, and often hides behind subtle signs.
People may feel cramping, heaviness, or pain, but not realize something serious is going on. Too often, it goes undiagnosed until major problems develop. National Red Sock Day steps in to change that story, urging people to speak up and seek help sooner.
The red socks tell a story with every step. That strong color stands for healthy circulation, a goal for anyone facing PAD. Some versions include hints of blue, a quiet reminder of poor blood flow and what can happen when PAD is ignored.
Wearing them sends a message—one that’s hard to miss. It sparks questions, spreads awareness, and helps people connect over a shared goal: catching PAD early and protecting the heart, legs, and life itself.
National Red Sock Day Timeline
1814
First description of intermittent claudication
Scottish physician William Heberden gives one of the earliest clear clinical descriptions of leg pain on exertion, later recognized as a hallmark symptom of peripheral artery disease.
1950
Introduction of the ankle brachial index
Vascular researchers describe the ankle brachial index, a simple ratio of ankle to arm blood pressure that becomes the standard noninvasive test to diagnose peripheral artery disease.
1963
First successful femoropopliteal bypass grafts
Surgeons report successful femoropopliteal bypass operations using synthetic grafts to reroute blood around blocked leg arteries, transforming treatment options for severe peripheral artery disease.
1964
Cigarette smoking linked to peripheral artery disease
The U.S. Surgeon General’s first report on smoking and health highlights a strong association between tobacco use and peripheral vascular disease, cementing smoking as a major PAD risk factor.
1968
Development of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty
Radiologist Charles Dotter pioneers percutaneous transluminal angioplasty to open narrowed peripheral arteries with catheters, laying the groundwork for modern minimally invasive PAD interventions.
1996
Publication of landmark PAD population study
The PARTNERS study and related work show that peripheral artery disease is common, underdiagnosed, and strongly linked to heart attack and stroke risk, pushing PAD into mainstream cardiovascular prevention.
2005
First American College of Cardiology/AHA PAD guidelines
The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association release joint practice guidelines for managing peripheral artery disease, standardizing diagnosis, risk reduction, and treatment strategies.
How to Celebrate National Red Sock Day
National Red Sock Day offers a meaningful opportunity to raise awareness about Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). Here are several engaging ways to participate:
Wear Red Socks
Don bright red socks to symbolize the importance of healthy circulation. This simple act can spark conversations about PAD and its risks.
Share Information Online
Utilize social media platforms to post facts about PAD. Sharing personal stories or educational content can inform others and encourage early detection.
Organize Community Events
Host local gatherings such as walks or informational sessions. These events can unite people in the cause and provide valuable health information.
Support PAD Charities
Contribute to organizations dedicated to PAD research and patient support. Financial donations or volunteer efforts can make a significant impact.
Encourage Health Screenings
Advocate for regular health check-ups focusing on vascular health. Early detection of PAD can prevent serious complications.
History of National Red Sock Day
National Red Sock Day started in 2022. The Way To My Heart, a nonprofit group, launched it to raise awareness about Peripheral Artery Disease, also known as PAD.
This condition blocks blood flow, mostly to the legs, due to plaque buildup in the arteries. Many people don’t realize they have it until serious damage happens. That’s why the group created a bold, visible reminder.
They chose red socks as a symbol. Red stands for strong circulation. Some socks include blue to show what happens when blood flow slows down.
Wearing them helps spark conversations about leg pain, numbness, and other early signs people often ignore. The goal is to catch PAD early and reduce serious risks like strokes, heart attacks, or amputations.
Each year, National Red Sock Day falls on the third Saturday of February. The timing ties into American Heart Month, which helps strengthen the message. Supporters use the day to share facts, encourage checkups, and bring people together.
Facts About National Red Sock Day
Leg Artery Disease Often Signals Wider Cardiovascular Trouble
Peripheral artery disease in the legs is rarely an isolated problem. Large cohort studies show that people with PAD are several times more likely to also have coronary or cerebrovascular disease, and their risk of heart attack and stroke is significantly elevated compared with those without PAD.
In fact, guidelines treat PAD as a “coronary heart disease risk equivalent,” meaning its presence is taken as strong evidence of widespread atherosclerosis throughout the body.
PAD Is Common but Frequently Missed in Primary Care
Population studies suggest that roughly 8.5 million people in the United States and more than 200 million people worldwide live with peripheral artery disease, yet many have no formal diagnosis.
Because leg pain, fatigue, or slowed walking are often dismissed as normal aging or arthritis, PAD is frequently detected only when complications such as non‑healing wounds or severe pain appear, which can be years after disease onset.
A Simple Ankle Test Can Uncover Hidden Circulation Problems
Clinicians can screen for PAD using the ankle–brachial index, a quick, noninvasive test that compares blood pressure at the ankle with that in the arm.
An ABI below 0.90 is strongly associated with blocked leg arteries and also predicts higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and death, even in people who feel well. Because it needs only a blood pressure cuff and handheld Doppler, this test can be performed in many outpatient settings.
Smoking Magnifies the Risk and Severity of PAD
Tobacco use is one of the strongest modifiable risk factors for peripheral artery disease. Research shows current smokers are several times more likely to develop PAD than nonsmokers, and they tend to present at younger ages with more severe blockages and a higher likelihood of amputation.
Stopping smoking not only slows progression of leg artery disease but also substantially reduces cardiovascular events overall.
Walking Programs Can Be as Powerful as Some Procedures
Structured walking therapy, where people with PAD walk to near‑moderate leg discomfort, rest, and repeat for set intervals several times per week, has been shown in randomized trials to significantly improve pain‑free and total walking distance.
In some studies, supervised exercise produced gains in functional walking capacity comparable to or better than certain revascularization procedures, particularly for stable, intermittent claudication.
PAD Disproportionately Affects People With Diabetes and Kidney Disease
People living with diabetes or chronic kidney disease are at especially high risk for PAD and its worst outcomes.
These conditions accelerate damage to blood vessel walls and impair healing, which means even small foot injuries can progress to serious infections or tissue loss.
As a result, PAD‑related amputations occur far more often in these groups than in the general population, and careful leg and foot monitoring is strongly advised.
Color Changes in Toes Can Be a Late Warning Sign
Beyond pain or cramping, advanced PAD can lead to visible changes in the feet and toes, including cool skin, loss of hair, weak pulses, or color shifts that look pale, bluish, or even dark purple.
These signs often indicate severely reduced blood flow and, if ignored, can precede tissue death and possible amputation. Vascular guidelines consider such changes a medical red flag that warrants urgent evaluation by a specialist.
National Red Sock Day FAQs
What are some early signs of peripheral artery disease that people often overlook?
Peripheral artery disease can cause classic calf pain when walking, but many people instead notice subtle issues such as leg fatigue, heaviness, or cramping that improve with rest and return with activity.
Other overlooked signs include feet or toes that feel unusually cold compared with the rest of the body, slow-healing or nonhealing sores on the legs or feet, shiny or hairless skin on the lower legs, and weak pulses in the ankles.
Because these changes can appear gradually, they are sometimes mistaken for normal aging rather than a circulation problem that needs medical attention.
How is peripheral artery disease usually diagnosed by health professionals?
Clinicians typically start with a medical history and physical exam, paying close attention to leg pulses and any wounds on the feet.
A key test is the ankle–brachial index, which compares blood pressure at the ankle with blood pressure in the arm to look for blocked blood flow.
If needed, doctors may use additional imaging such as Doppler ultrasound, CT angiography, or MR angiography to visualize narrowed arteries and plan treatment. Early diagnosis through these noninvasive tests helps reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and limb loss.
Who is most at risk for developing peripheral artery disease?
Peripheral artery disease becomes more common with age, especially after 60, but several factors greatly increase risk at any age. Cigarette smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and chronic kidney disease are major contributors.
People with a history of heart attack, stroke, or other arterial disease are also more likely to have PAD, even if their leg symptoms are mild or absent.
Because the disease often goes undetected, guidelines recommend that people with these risks talk with their clinician about screening.
How does peripheral artery disease affect overall heart health, not just the legs?
Although symptoms often appear in the legs, peripheral artery disease is a marker of plaque buildup throughout the body’s arteries.
People with PAD have a significantly higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death than those without it.
Studies show that many patients with PAD die from heart or brain artery disease rather than leg complications alone, so experts view PAD as a systemic cardiovascular condition that requires aggressive management of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and lifestyle factors.
Can lifestyle changes alone improve peripheral artery disease, or is surgery usually required?
Many people with mild to moderate peripheral artery disease improve without surgery through a combination of smoking cessation, structured walking or exercise programs, eating a heart‑healthy diet, and medications that control blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.
Supervised exercise therapy in particular has strong evidence for reducing leg pain and increasing walking distance.
Surgery or catheter‑based procedures, such as angioplasty and stenting, are generally reserved for severe symptoms, nonhealing wounds, or threatened limb loss when medical therapy and lifestyle changes are not enough.
Is peripheral artery disease only a problem in high‑income countries?
Peripheral artery disease is common worldwide and affects people in both high‑income and low‑ and middle‑income countries.
Global studies estimate that more than 200 million adults live with PAD, with particularly rapid growth in regions where diabetes, smoking, and high blood pressure are becoming more prevalent.
While high‑income countries may have better access to diagnosis and treatment, low‑resource settings often face higher rates of advanced disease and limb loss because PAD is recognized and treated later.
What complications can happen if peripheral artery disease is not treated early?
If peripheral artery disease progresses without treatment, reduced blood flow can lead to painful walking, rest pain in the feet, and eventually critical limb ischemia, where tissue does not receive enough oxygen to survive.
This can cause nonhealing ulcers, infections, and gangrene that may require amputation. At the same time, untreated PAD reflects widespread atherosclerosis, which sharply increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Early recognition and management can prevent many of these serious outcomes.
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